


All Things Considered

by Neverever



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Established Relationship, Fem!Steve, Fluff, Gender or Sex Swap, Kid Fic, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage, Pregnancy, Pregnant Steve Rogers, Romance, Slice of Life, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-01
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-25 07:19:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neverever/pseuds/Neverever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being surprised at the results of Steve being turned into a woman, Tony finds himself becoming the father he never thought he'd be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Things Considered

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks for my beta who helped a lot.
> 
> Includes non-graphic description of surgery without anesthesia.

All things considered, Tony thought, Steve was adjusting quite well to being a woman. It all started with a dust-up with Loki, who got off a lucky shot at Steve with a spell that turned Steve into Stephanie. Except Steve gave anyone who called him that a withering look and said curtly, “It’s Steve.” And if they continued to call him Stephanie, Steve ignored them. Tony found that SHIELD agents ignored by Captain America did not have long careers.

After consulting with the magic experts, including Thor, the consensus was that the spell would wear off and Steve would turn back to a man. Thor spoke from experience and reassured Steve that the spell would not last long. So Steve continued as he always did. He wore his usual jeans and a t-shirt, kept his hair short, ate the same fantastically huge amount, watched the Mets. In short, he acted like himself. Just with a woman’s body.

He did put some extra time in at the gym to relearn how to throw the shield and to adjust what he could or could not do with this version of his body. And he was forced to ask for one or two small necessary adjustments to the uniform. And those were pretty much the only concessions Steve acknowledged to accommodate his new form.

But in Tony and Steve’s bedroom, it was a completely different story. Once Steve stripped down for bed, Tony was blown away by how gorgeous Steve looked. With the pure interest of science in his heart, he persuaded Steve that if the spell was expected to wear off soon, they should make the most of their time exploring Steve’s new body. Steve threw himself into experimenting with an enthusiasm that took Tony’s breath away. After the first night, Tony laid in bed exhausted and worn but very, very happy, reflecting on how much he loved Steve and how proud he was of the way Steve handled his situation, which only added to his love and admiration of the man.

 

About a month and a half after the Loki incident, Tony came up from his workshop after putting in a good several hours and found Bruce talking quietly to a shocked-looking Steve near the kitchen island. Tony could immediately tell that whatever Bruce was talking about was clearly a very serious matter. He said, “Hey, Bruce,” as he maneuvered around them to get to the coffee maker.

Then he was surprised to hear Bruce say sternly to Steve, “Talk to Tony, ok? It can’t be put off.” Then Bruce gave Tony an odd look and said, “See you in the lab later, Tony.”

Tony thought the whole conversation out of character for Bruce and proceeded to ask Steve, “What’s up with him?” Then Tony was distracted by how Steve’s jeans showed off his curvy hips.

Steve flushed bright red as he turned to look at Tony. “Um, Bruce ran some blood tests. He found something odd and he wants me to take some tests to confirm it.” Steve squirmed a little. “Pregnancy tests, to be exact.”

Once Steve was firmly established as his boyfriend, Tony honestly thought he would never hear those words from a partner ever again. At least he had some experience in this area so he could work his way around the shock. “Want to do a home test?”

“We can do those?” 

“We don’t kill rabbits anymore, Cap. Come on and let’s prove Bruce wrong.”

Bruce was not wrong. Three tests and they were all positive. After some haranguing for being idiots for not practicing birth control, Bruce made Steve take an official medical test, which also turned out to be positive. Tony was not surprised, since the home drugstore tests were pretty accurate. Steve was very tight-lipped while Bruce read him the results. Then Bruce pointed out the obvious. “Steve, I am not sure what to tell you. But this pregnancy is not viable if you turn back to your regular form. Which we are expecting to happen any time now.”

Tony turned to Steve, whose face was completely unreadable. Then Steve said, “I’m going for a run,” which was Steve-code for not going to talk about it now. Or maybe ever. Tony knew enough to not push Steve right then.

Bruce tried to say something to Steve’s retreating back, but Tony shook his head. “He has to work it out.”

“Tony, you know –“

“Nothing’s going to happen if Steve’s not on board, Bruce, you know that.”

Tony did not see Steve at all for the rest of the day or even early evening. He did not check in with Tony after his run, and did not stop by to see what the team was watching in the common room as he usually did before dinner. He even missed team dinner. He did not answer his phone or respond to Tony’s texts. Tony finally saw Steve that night when he returned to their apartment in the Tower. The apartment was dark except for one lamp on an end table next to the chairs by the windows. Steve was sitting, staring out the window, a sketch pad on his lap and a large pitcher of juice and plate of food in front of him.

Tony went to sit in the chair across from Steve. “Hi, are you okay?” he ventured. “Where have you been?”

“Central Park. All day.” He set the pad on the table and relaxed a little bit. Tony was always amazed at how Steve looked like Steve in his female form. He would know him anywhere, in any guise, even if he were turned into a frog. “At the zoo,” Steve added.

“Want to talk about it?”

“I’ve made up my mind, Tony. I want this child and I’m going to do whatever I have to to make it happen.” Steve sighed with relief at having told Tony how he felt. Tony felt the world shift and mold around Steve’s statement. He had no doubt that once Steve set his mind to this, Steve would move heaven and earth to make it happen. 

Then Steve’s expression softened. “I don’t mean to be unfair to you, Tony, since you are also involved in this. But I’ve wanted this – a family, a child -- for so long, even before the war and everything. I never thought I could have it.”

Tony had tried not to think about it all day, unsuccessfully, knowing he had to wait to see what Steve wanted. He had many, many doubts and reservations about how this whole thing would work out. The odds were seriously against them that the child would even come to term. And he had no idea if he would be a good father at all. But he loved Steve, and Steve hardly ever asked for anything or wanted something for himself. Maybe with his science knowledge and Steve’s optimism and stubbornness it could work. “Okay, let’s do this,” he said, reaching out to hug Steve. “I’ll back you for whatever you want.”

Steve pulled him into a fierce hug and kissed him joyfully. Hugs were a little different now, given Steve’s current endowments. Steve said, “I have a plan to make this work.” Of course, Tony thought. Steve already knew that he wanted the baby as soon Bruce confirmed it. The rest of the day had just been planning it all out. Tony suspected that the planning probably extended to their baby’s twenty-first birthday. Then Steve took Tony’s hand and put it on his stomach where the baby was growing. Yeah, this could work.

It was just as Tony thought. Steve’s plan was extensive. Steve had already broken down all the issues and categorized them according to risk. He had also specified influential factors for the pregnancy, a timeline of events, a list of who would be informed and when and how much, and even how long he could continue to work as Captain America. There was even a sub-plan for keeping Tony informed and involved. “Can’t forget you,” Steve said with a hug and a kiss. It was all very terrifying in its completeness. But as it turned out, Life had plans different from Steve’s.

 

Steve identified that the single most important thing for a successful pregnancy was him remaining female as long as possible. He and Tony consulted with Dr. Stephen Strange, who said he would keep the spell on Steve through the pregnancy as best he could, but he could not promise that the spell would stay intact until the baby came to term. Despite Strange’s assurances, Steve remained nervous because Strange could not provide any guarantees. But Strange reminded Steve that in addition to being Sorcerer Supreme, he also was a medical doctor so he was aware of what pregnancy entailed. At the end of the meeting, Steve had a standing weekly appointment with Strange to keep an eye on the spell and make adjustments as necessary.

Together, they swore Bruce to secrecy. But their plans to keep things under wraps until the end of the first trimester fell apart when other Avengers started to wonder why Steve was not turning back into a man. After agonizing over what type of announcement to make, they opted for simple. So as a regular team dinner was winding down, Steve quietly announced that he and Tony were pregnant, the baby was due in September, and he hoped very much they would keep the news to themselves for now. Conversation came to a screeching halt. Steve turned several different shades of red as the questions came at him thick and fast. Tony intervened and said that they were taking it day by day, and that at this early stage they really did not have a lot of answers. Of course, Tony was the object of several sharp comments about safe sex, but Steve came to his defense. “We honestly did not think that that this was going to happen, so yes, we did not plan appropriately, and I was just as irresponsible as Tony. But we are very happy and excited to be expecting.” 

Steve was the picture of pregnancy perfection. He never suffered the effects of early pregnancy, morning sickness or other discomforts. He actually glowed. He cheerfully fielded advice, carefully researched how much exercise he could do without hurting the baby, and started to sketch out a possible mural for the baby’s room when he and Tony decided where the nursery would be. On the other hand, whenever he was in the field as Captain America, he glowered if someone so much as hinted that smashing bad guys and alien invaders into the ground was not exactly conducive to a good pregnancy. Steve intended to be Cap as long as possible.

One day, Steve mentioned off-hand that he was planning on a home birth. When Tony expressed some concerns, Steve shrugged them off, saying that he had been born at home and there was nothing wrong with that. Tony pointed out that had been in 1918, and perhaps they needed to be cautious now due to Steve’s situation. Steve then gave him The Look, which meant he thought Tony was being ridiculous. 

Tony involved himself as much as he could in the pregnancy, short of being the pregnant one, and was getting as excited as Steve as the weeks progressed. But he really did not like how he was now the cautious one in the relationship. That was supposed to be Steve’s job.

The super-soldier serum gave a lot to Steve but there was also a price, as Tony and Steve soon learned. Steve was going to Bruce or the SHIELD doctors for his pregnancy check ups, since they were most convenient. Tony had some doubts about Steve involving the SHIELD doctors because he was not sure that they would be entirely on Steve’s side. Then things came to a head in the fourth month.

In their apartment kitchen, Tony found Steve angrily rummaging through the refrigerator and muttering under his breath. Steve had always eaten a lot but now that he was pregnant, he was practically inhaling food. Tony did not know how anyone could eat that much or where Steve was putting any of it. Steve had put on a little weight and if one looked at him in a certain light one could tell he was pregnant. But today, Steve was one angry pregnant person.

Tony gave him a little back rub while they waited for Steve’s pizza to warm up in the oven. Steve went on incoherently about some sort of major blowout argument he and Bruce had that morning. Tony had never seen Steve that angry before and he could only understand every other word, such as “babies,” “serum,” “stupid researchers,” “genetics,” “blood samples,” “vampires,” “fertility” and “newfangled technology ultrasound.” Tony waited for Steve to wear himself out and then asked very worriedly, “Babies?”

Steve sighed. “Bruce suggested that we do an ultrasound today for the heck of it. So it turned out we’re expecting quadruplets, and then Bruce wanted to run all sorts of blood tests and kept going on about the serum and wanting to figure it out its effects on my pregnancy. He was so focused on the serum that he forgot to answer any of my questions.”

“Wait a minute, back up to the part where you said quadruplets.”

Steve gave him The Look. “It appears from the ultrasound that I am carrying quadruplets. Or at least, that’s how many heads we counted.”

Oh, now Tony was completely freaked out. Steve squeezed his hand, gently encouraging him to breathe. Tony gulped. “Okay. I’m okay.” He suspected that he really should not be surprised by anything at this point. After all, Steve was a super soldier. Who was temporarily a woman. And pregnant. With his quadruplets.

Steve added, “We never really looked into this aspect of the serum before. But Bruce hypothesizes that I have some sort of super-enhanced fertility due to the serum. I’ve only ever had sex with you, so it never came up since we couldn’t get pregnant that way. Now that there was an opportunity, my body went into overproduction, so to speak.”

Tony thought about it. “You know, that makes sense. At least now we know we were doomed from the beginning, it’s not entirely our fault.”

“And you get your wish that we don’t have a home birth.”

Tony was not sure he wanted to win the argument this way. “So, why so angry at Bruce?”

“I resent being a science project! I can go along with things to a point, but Bruce wanted to do a complete genetic workup for the kids. And I have no intention of ever letting anyone treat our children that way,” Steve said grimly, with all the weight of Captain America’s conviction behind his words.

“They won’t,” Tony assured him. “I bet Pepper knows a good OB-GYN who doesn’t work for SHIELD.”

Steve visibly relaxed. “Oh god, please. Can you call her?”

In addition to meeting Pepper on a regular basis in her role as the CEO of Stark Industries, Tony had a weekly lunch with her when she was in New York. Things had been touchy at first between them following their breakup. Everything came to a head when Tony began to spend more time with the Avengers, putting far too much strain on their relationship. Pepper spent more and more of her time trying to make their relationship work, and realized with increasing fear Tony was drifting farther and farther away from her, so she ended it. But they were far too close as friends for things to be strained for long. And by the time Tony started to ease into a relationship with Steve, Tony and Pepper had completely repaired their friendship.

Pepper was the very first person they told about the pregnancy, even before the team and Bucky. She was very excited for him and Steve. As Tony joined her for lunch, she reached under the table and handed him a present for the baby. “I’ve sent you a list of OB-GYNs. Dr. Reyes is a very good candidate. She has a lot of celebrity clients and is very discreet. She is also a partner in a highly recommended pediatric practice.”

“Thanks, Pepper,” Tony said. He smiled gratefully at her.

“So, how’s Steve doing?” Pepper asked.

“He’s over the moon, now that the shock of having quadruplets has worn off.”

“And you?”

Tony laughed. “I’m redesigning the whole apartment to include a children’s wing. Steve’s pretty much letting me to do whatever I want as long he can paint some murals. Or direct people painting murals. I haven’t been able to convince him that paint is bad for pregnant people.”

“I would’ve thought –“

“He’s making me look bad, Pep. We agreed to hire nannies since four babies are a handful. But I found out he thinks nannies are for caring for the children and babysitting. I’m thinking of nannies as the first line of defense against Doombots and terrorists.”

Pepper laughed. “I never thought I’d see the day that Tony Stark would be talking nannies.”

“You’d be surprised how many retired SHIELD agents we’ve interviewed.”

“Wow. What’s it like being a responsible adult?”

“You have no idea of my pain. I’m looking forward to the payoff when I teach the kids to blow stuff up. Steve’s got to let me do that at least.”

Pepper smiled. Then turning serious, she said, “This is probably as good a time as any to mention this, Tony. Have you worked out the legal stuff regarding Steve and the children?”

Tony drew a sharp breath. “I’ve been too busy with everything else.”

“I’ll get my assistant to arrange appointments with the lawyers. You need to get this settled so you can get back to devising workshops for the kids.”

“Thanks for that, Pep. Now can we go back to fun stuff? Like what’s going on with you and Happy?”

“I’ll tell you when you tell me when you’re going to make an honest man out of Steve.” 

Ouch. Tony winced and took a long drink of his venti triple-shot espresso.

 

Tony loved Dr. Reyes. She handled their particular medical situation with the utmost professional concern and betrayed no shock when Steve explained how they ended up in her office. She allowed Tony to Skype into appointments if he could not attend one with Steve, and she allowed them (and JARVIS) access to all of Steve’s electronic medical records. She set Steve at ease and readily showed him proof that the technicians completely destroyed Steve’s blood samples after the tests were run. Most of all, Dr. Reyes patiently explained to Steve that he needed to cut back on his exercise, and how to modify his routine to gentler workouts, and that he should plan on stepping down as Captain America sooner than later. She actually preferred that he step down immediately. Tony was surprised at how Steve carefully listened to what she said about future testing and avoiding risks and took notes on eating properly, getting enough rest and other advice on having a successful pregnancy, and then once out of the doctor’s sight, proceeded to ignore what she said about physical activity. Tony found himself fluttering around Steve watchfully and pointing out the dangers, especially as he observed Steve take down about three Doombots. Steve had a constant look of amusement on his face as he listened to Tony nag him about taking it easy. 

Dr. Reyes asked Tony to come in for a special appointment. She then mentioned the worst words Tony ever heard in his life: “I suggest that you talk to your partner about planning to be on bed rest for a few months before the due date.”

“Bed rest? For the guy who wouldn’t sit still with a broken leg?” Tony had a feeling how badly that conversation would go.

Dr. Reyes replied sympathetically, “He will need to go on bed rest eventually, Mr. Stark. If you were expecting one child, I would not be so insistent. Steve is the absolute picture of health and he has hit every milestone as we expected. Women tend to experience extra bursts of energy during the second trimester, though I suspect that Steve has always been very active. But we need to avoid causing complications given your unusual situation.”

But before he could broach the bed-rest suggestion, Tony had other more immediate concerns to address. During many tedious meetings with the lawyers, Tony had realized that the easiest solution to his legal complications was to marry Steve. Now that New York recognized same-sex marriage, it made very good sense. Before the pregnancy, Tony had been thinking of eventually proposing to Steve. Now, with four kids on the way and living with Steve already, he could not be more committed. But he wanted to be romantic about it, and not treat it like the inevitable next step. He loved Steve so much and this adventure had drawn them even closer. He smiled, thinking of Steve snuggling up to him on the couch and encouraging him to touch his stomach.

Knowing Steve would protest if Tony spent a fortune on an engagement dinner and also that he had no intention of proposing to Steve in their favorite pizzeria, Tony forged ahead and made reservations at an excellent and very discreet restaurant. He induced the host to book the reservations in the upcoming week instead of waiting the usual three months for an open table. He bought an appropriate man’s engagement ring and calmly informed Steve about the dinner. Steve, who was pretty much just wearing t-shirts and sweatpants at this point in his pregnancy, looked a little panicked at the idea. Having actually thought this through, Tony produced a list of suggestions from Pepper for fancy maternity wear, including a place that sold pregnancy suits.

Steve looked amazing in his suit, Tony thought, as the host seated them at their table. Steve was letting his hair grow out since he was not up to getting haircuts every two weeks, and someone - possibly Pepper again - had showed him how to style it. Tony had previously made arrangements with the restaurant to serve whatever he wanted in large portions and to provide menus without prices. But Steve seemed a little listless. Tony was worried.

After demolishing the contents of the bread basket, Steve gave a slight sigh. “I have to tell you something, Tony.”

Tony was suddenly scared. Steve was using his serious Cap voice. That was not good. “Ah, okay, Steve.”

Steve drank his ice water. And then he said, “I’m stepping down from the Avengers starting today. You’re in charge.”

Tony reached over to take his hand. He had wanted Steve to do this for a long time, but it still was a gut punch to see how unhappy this decision made Steve. “Are you okay, darling?” Tony asked gently.

“I have to, Tony. At training this morning, I couldn’t fit my uniform around my waist. And I can’t ask you to continue to adjust the uniform since now I’m showing more and more. And while I’ve been aware for some time that I’ve got passengers with their own agenda, last week I noticed that I went in one direction and they wanted to go in another. It’s just too much of a risk.’

Tony rejoiced very quietly. He hoped his poker face was still intact. “I bet it’s playing havoc on the shield throwing,” he said in an attempt at cheering up Steve. Secretly, Tony always thought that the first time Steve had a hard time throwing the shield he would decide to leave the field and not one minute before, no matter how many times Tony said something.

Steve perked up and laughed. “You’re right, it’s just not the same.” They spent the rest of dinner through dessert talking about how Steve still planned to be involved with the Avengers, albeit from the safety of Stark Tower.

While Steve went to the restroom, because one of the babies inevitably was pressing on his bladder, Tony got the ring ready. He watched Steve return to their table, walking with innate grace and glowing. He was beautiful and everything Tony wanted. As soon as Steve sat down, Tony surprised him by getting down on bended knee to ask Steve to marry him. Tony told Steve how much he meant to him, how he wanted to share his life with him no matter what they had to face, and how happy Steve made him. Steve could not stop himself from bursting into tears, and he enthusiastically said yes. Cheers and congratulations arose from other diners to Steve’s embarrassment. 

All in all, it was a terrific night. Although it paled in comparison to when they were in the town car being driven back to the Tower, and Steve suddenly sat up straight, surprising Tony, who had been drowsily leaning into him. “Wow,” Steve breathed and immediately placed Tony’s hand on his stomach. Then he said with awe, “Someone just moved. For the first time.” Tony kissed Steve and held his hand over Steve’s small belly bulge. For once, he was wordless as they sat together in the car.

Since Tony had gotten the proposal he wanted, Steve got the wedding he wanted. They called up their friends Pepper, Rhodey, Sam, and Bucky to figure out a free day for a courthouse wedding. Steve filled out the paperwork, secured the license and emailed the invitations for their wedding at 3:00 pm on the following Wednesday. The whole thing was over in a half-hour when the judge pronounced them husband and husband. During the small celebration that followed, Rhodey asked Steve about the small wedding. It turned out that Steve actually had opinions on superhero weddings – that they should be a quiet and low key as possible since the splashy affairs seemed to attract supervillains like catnip for cats. Steve was not a fan of surprises, he preferred to have control of any situation he was in. Overall, he rated the day as a major success. Plus, the upcoming baby shower would be a much bigger event.

 

A couple of weeks after the wedding, Steve settled into bed with a groan of annoyance. He was increasingly irritated these days with the lack of regular exercise.

“Yoga for Pregnant Women not doing it for you tonight?” Tony asked warily. He was leaning up against the headboard working away at his tablet. Steve was engaged in constant negotiation with Dr. Reyes about exactly how much exercise he could do. The bed-rest prescription had not come up yet.

“No,” Steve said crossly. “I can’t believe I’m saying this. But I want my body back. The male version.”

“We’re at the end of the sixth month now. Not much longer,” Tony said. He patted Steve on his arm. At any rate, pregnant grumpy Steve was more amusing than regular-flavor grumpy Steve.

“I miss sex,” Steve said. Tony raised an eyebrow at that. They were having sex, they were just limited to certain positions and activities. He suspected that Steve missed having athletic sex, which they certainly were not encouraged to do.

“Just a matter of time.”

Steve sighed heavily. “I miss being out there. I miss it so much.”

“I do too, baby.” If not for the addition of new Avengers, it would have been impossible to handle the constant criminal influx. Steve was a very important cog in the Avengers machine. And everyone, especially Iron Man, missed him.

Steve huffed and sighed again as he readjusted himself against the pillows. He flipped through the channels looking for a sports game. He paused a minute over an entertainment story about a celebrity selling her baby pictures to a gossip magazine. Steve was clearly horrified. “People do that?”

“Do what?” Tony looked up, not seeing what had shocked Steve. He blinked. “Oh, that happens all the time.”

“We’re not doing that, Tony. Promise me we are not doing that.”

Tony squeezed Steve’s knee. “Nope, we’re good. We definitely won’t be doing that.”

“Seriously, I don’t want anyone in the media or really outside of the Avengers to even know about the kids.”

Tony put down his tablet. He could agree with that. “Of course. But it’s a given that the superhero community already knows. Is that okay with you?”

Steve continued to frown at the television. “Considering the guest list for the shower, I guess that ship has sailed. But – no media, no baby pictures, no press releases, no tweets.”

“Okay, it’s a deal.” Tony had been in the media spotlight since he was a small child, and had had more than enough of it. He would make sure his kids would not be subjected to the same circus for any reason.

 

At Steve’s seventh month, the Avengers hosted a huge baby shower at Stark Tower in their large living room. The baby shower was a Pepper-and-Sam production. They had invited the entire New York City superhero community. It was a “bring your favorite baby book” shower. Although it turned out people decided that the Rogers-Stark babies apparently needed a vast array of Army, Air Force, SHIELD, MIT, Mets, Knicks and Giants onesies and t-shirts. The party was a huge success, with almost everyone able to attend. There was a very involved Wii sports tournament on the huge television in the main living room while electronic music blared in the kitchen. Tony was still pondering why someone would make a SHIELD emblem onesie when Pepper announced the opening of the gifts. Steve was seated in the place of honor, being his adorable dorky self as he unwrapped each gift and whispered the title and giver to Sam’s girlfriend, who recorded it for the thank you notes. In his current state of complete boredom, Steve had already written the thank you notes, and they just needed the gift information before being mailed.

Bucky pushed over his gift. Tony guessed it might be some sort of a baby’s guide to weapons. But Steve smiled widely as he unwrapped the Winnie the Pooh book. “Aw, thanks, Bucky. Looks just like the copy I got for Christmas when I was eight.”

“Remembered it was one of your favorites,” Bucky replied.

Unexpectedly, Steve and Bucky started reminiscing about growing up in Brooklyn in the 1920s and 30s. Steve recalled spitting out of train cars and grabbing rides downtown to see the construction work on the Chrysler Building. Bucky mentioned sneaking into the theater to see _The Jazz Singer_. Steve laughed and said, “My mother would have tanned my hide if I did that. She thought that film was immoral even though she was intrigued it was a talkie.”

Bucky and Steve traded stories about the orphanage and roaming the streets of Brooklyn for hours on their own in packs of 10-to-12-year-old boys, without adult supervision. During a story in which Steve described poking at dead rats near untreated sewer water and daring his fellow orphans to jump off fire escapes, it dawned on Tony that Tony was going to be _that_ parent, not Steve. Tony was going to be the parent insisting that the kids wear bicycle helmets and wash their hands before dinner, and he was going to fret when they went off to school. Steve was going to be the one to ask about how far they had swung on the hall chandelier and send them off to the subway to go wherever they wanted when they were ten. He would probably lead them all out in a little parade to see Iron Man on the landing strip outside when he returned from a mission, while Tony would be having a heart attack imagining the wind sweeping one of them off the building. 

Tony was completely horrified.

The party broke up late. He saw Steve thanking everyone graciously. As he slid into his spot next to Steve, Sue Richards hugged Steve. “I can’t believe how good you look. I wish I had looked as good pregnant. Anyway, Reed and I want you to know to let us know when you go into labor. We’ll cover any attack from aliens and invaders. We know what it can be like.”

“Thanks, Sue,” Steve said warmly.

“Call if you need anything,” she added.

Tony saw to a few things before retreating to the bedroom. Steve was already settled in bed. Tony smiled as he leaned against the bathroom door, watching Steve feel the kicks from their babies. Steve looked tired but unbelievably happy.

“So … talkies?” Tony asked offhandedly as he climbed into bed.

Steve flushed. “Well, you know, that’s what we used to call them.” 

“I mean, you could call movies that now if you want to, old man.”

“Hey,” Steve nudged him. “Give a hundred-year-old pregnant man a break here. It was a great party, Tony.”

“Well. It was great until the old folks’ story hour. Dead rats, Steve.”

“You would have done the same, Tony.” Steve leaned against Tony. Tony’s hand smoothed over Steve’s now-longer and softer hair, and he massaged the nape of his neck. “Hmm,” Steve purred. 

Tony kissed the crown of Steve’s head. “So you wouldn’t have a problem with our kids traipsing through New York without adult supervision?”

“Probably not,” Steve admitted drowsily. 

“I might,” Tony admitted.

“No, you’re going to hand them welding torches and plasma cutters when they’re ten. And maybe require them to wear goggles.”

“Actually, I would expect that. You know I always wear safety equipment.” Tony paused. “I just always thought I was going to be the reckless, irresponsible parent.”

“Why is it irresponsible to teach them independence? We both want them to grow up to be self-reliant, critically thinking adults. We want them to be whatever they want to be, whether that means being superheroes or scientists or even artists.” Steve stirred against Tony’s hand.

Tony thought some more before replying. “So, do you want them to see the world? I want them to go places and explore. Have choices, learn lessons.”

“Of course,” Steve said. “I’m already thinking of that big National Park trip we’ll want to take when they’re old enough.”

“I can’t believe that we totally agree on what we want for them.”

Steve smiled up at Tony fondly. “We might argue on a lot of the particulars, Tony, but we want the same things out of life. That’s why we work.”

Tony rolled over to wrap himself around Steve in as much of a full-body hug as he could manage with Steve’s more advanced pregnancy. He marveled that, as usual, Steve tended to be right about a lot of things.

Another thing they readily agreed on was what to name the kids. Having decided not to leave anything to chance, they already knew the sex of the quadruplets – two girls and two boys. Dr. Reyes cautioned them, saying that on occasion there are surprises at the birth. Despite some misgivings from Rhodey and Pepper, Tony definitely knew enough to not give his kids any names that suggested that they would grow up to be featured dancers at the Diamond Room. They would have solid, classic names: James Samuel, Sarah Maria, Virginia Ann, and Grant Edward. Tony privately thought of them as the Rogers-Stark army. Pepper was speechless when Steve told her about her namesake. Tony figured he owed her so much that naming a child after her was the least he could do.

Steve was trying hard to hide his boredom. He had come to some agreement with Dr. Reyes where he did not go on total bed rest but did sit a lot more than he was accustomed to. He outfitted the children’s rooms with military efficiency, gave in and eventually hired painters for the murals to work under his strict supervision, and oversaw the remodeling of the apartment for the children’s wing. He did all this while reviewing and commenting on training videos and holding debriefings after Avengers’ missions. Tony enjoyed all of it immensely, especially when he pointed out to Steve that they did not need physical baby monitors since they had JARVIS.

 

But good times do not always last. Towards the end of Steve’s seventh month, Steve requested that Tony set aside a couple of hours for a talk. Steve also arranged for the Avengers not to call Tony during that time for anything short of an end-of-the-world scenario. Tony knew this was not good. Especially since Steve appeared to be visibly upset.

They were sitting in the living room of their apartment where Steve had first told him that he wanted these children. 

“Tony, we have to make some decisions,” Steve said. “We’ve been floating along pretty well for awhile. But things are starting to slip a bit.”

“The spell?” Tony noticed that Steve was looking slightly less feminine these days, not entirely by choice. He had almost forgotten what male Steve looked like.

Steve grimaced. “Dr. Strange has been maintaining the spell. But he says he might only be able to hold off the transformation for another month and a half. Or else I have to decide to stay a woman.”

“Oh,” Tony said, at a bit of a loss for words for once.

“I could make a crack here about not having to make these decisions in the 40s.”

“It’s not like a lot of people make these decisions now,” Tony pointed out.

“I plan to go back to being male,” Steve said firmly. “I just like myself better as a guy. So Dr. Strange and I are going sweat out that part.”

“Okay.” Tony found during this whole pregnancy he said “okay” an awful lot because some of the stuff they discussed was not exactly ordinary. Dr. Reyes had talked Steve into doing a genetic profile. The odds were very good that the children would be inheriting Steve’s serum which would counteract anything bad Steve or Tony brought to the table. When Tony actually expressed concern about the children inheriting heart disease, Steve could not stop laughing hysterically since he had a far worse family history than Tony. Steve added that they could not estimate if the kids would inherit Tony’s intelligence, which they both hoped would happen.

Steve continued, “Dr. Reyes says that I’m not likely to be able to deliver vaginally due to the traffic jam from the four kids. She is saying that we should plan on having a caesarean section.”

Tony immediately saw the problem. “Steve, I don’t know how you could do that.” Early on, they had discussed Steve having an epidural during labor and realized that since he could not effectively use painkillers since they cycled through his blood so quickly, Steve would have to go through natural childbirth whether he liked it or not.

“It might be the only way, Tony. I’m going to do what’s right for the kids. I think I can do it without anesthesia. And I’m okay if you don’t want to be there.” 

“No, we go through this together.”

“Dr. Reyes wants us to tell her what happens if things don’t work out so well.”

“Steve, that sounds like a terrible television show. Or a soap opera. Everything will be fine.”

“I think so too. But I agree with the doctor about planning ahead. If we work out the medical consent now, then we have a plan if things go pear-shaped.” Steve looked down at his hands. He could not wear the wedding ring Tony gave him because of recent weight gain; he wore it on a chain around his neck. “Tony, the children need to come first.”

Tony had never liked those stories about men needing to choose between their wives or their children during childbirth. Maybe the stories were true. But he firmly believed there was always a third or fourth option. And he expected the same in his own situation. But he respected Dr. Reyes, who had to put up with a pushy Steve, so he filled out the paperwork.

 

Tony kept a countdown clock to the birth date on his servers. Now that they were firmly in the last part of the seventh month, Steve was getting anxious and nervous. The spell was definitely starting to lift. Not only that, but Steve was staying in bed because his belly was enormous and it hurt to move. Tony put his best efforts into cheering up Steve and massaging his back and ankles and feet. Steve had a grim optimism and determination as each day passed and they hit certain milestones. Steve actually smiled when they hit the thirtieth week in the pregnancy. They were in the home stretch.

Even the head of R&D at Stark Industries had to go to the occasional meeting. Tony tried very hard to listen to the presentation on a major innovation in mobile server technology. He had overseen the project, knew it thoroughly, and was just at the meeting in case there were high-level questions. One of Pepper’s assistants started to wave through the conference room windows at Tony and Pepper. Pepper immediately guessed what had happened and made apologies for her and Tony as she pushed him out the door.

Steve was already at the hospital. The spell was on the verge of snapping and Drs. Strange and Reyes indicated that Steve had to deliver now. By the time Tony arrived at the hospital, got scrubbed and gowned and ushered into the operating room, Steve was already under the knife. Years of experience as a superhero stood Tony in good stead as he watched Steve struggle in great pain as a surgeon opened him up to deliver their children. He could barely hold Steve’s hand as Steve gripped it with nearly all his super-soldier strength. Tony disregarded the pressure squeezing his hands and fingers, focusing on Steve and chanting constant encouragement.

Each child was born healthy and crying. Steve craned his neck to see them in their hospital bassinets as they were wheeled past him, one by one, on their way to being weighed and washed. Tony kissed Steve, who was completely wiped out, and could not watch the surgeon sew Steve’s incision shut. He whispered to his husband, “I love you, you did great!” as they moved Steve to recovery.

Tony checked in with Pepper, who had assigned an assistant to make all the necessary calls. She smiled and congratulated a very dazed Tony as they looked over Tony’s children lined up in their bassinets in the NICU. They were a healthy pink compared to the other preemies, no doubt because of Steve. One little girl even had wisps of brown hair. Tony’s eyes misted as he felt overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. Then he went to see Steve. 

The nurse informed Tony that Steve was in a private room and recovering wonderfully. Tony did not expect anything less. When Tony finally saw him, he had already transformed back into male Steve. Tony had to give him credit. Steve had a plan to see this pregnancy through, and his plan had in fact worked. A triumphant victory for the Star Spangled Man. As Tony pulled up a chair to sit by the bed, Steve stirred and woke up. Tony greeted his exhausted husband, “Hi there, gorgeous.”

“Hi there,” Steve replied wearily. The surgery and subsequent transformation had taken a toll on even Steve’s strength. “How are they?”

“Beautiful. Perfect. When you’re more awake, they’ll bring them in. I suspect the doctors might even spring them from the NICU soon.”

“Thank you so much, Tony. I love them so much and we’re so lucky…”

“I should be thanking you, Steve. You’re always the guy with the plan. It paid off royally.” He lightly caressed Steve’s temples and kissed his drooping eyelids, his other hand clasping Steve’s on top of the covers.

Let’s get them all home in one piece, big guy, and then we can call it a day, Tony thought.

 

Two years later, on New Year’s Eve, Tony was wrapping up his lab work for the day, watching Steve and the kids on his computer screen. Steve was reading them a story as they sat around him in their footie pajamas. God, Steve had been right as always about the kids. He looked up at the Christmas card Steve had sent out this year tucked into the corner of a computer monitor. Steve had dressed the kids up as Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk in front of the Christmas tree. It was beyond adorable, Tony had to admit, even if the kids were his own. 

The best benefit of working where you live was the wonderfully short commute. Tony bounded into the elevator which whisked him up past the Avengers’ common floors to his and Steve’s penthouse apartment. The kids shrieked with joy to see Daddy and they fiercely hugged him. Steve smiled at him, attempting to straighten his toddler-finger-snarled hair. Then there was dinner to make, a round of stories to read, and bedtime kisses to give.

Tony settled on the couch nestled against Steve with a cold piece of pizza to watch the usual bad movie. He thought that if someone had told him ten years ago that his favorite place in the world on New Year’s Eve would be sitting with his husband at home snarking on a movie and listening to his kids quietly sleeping, he would have called them insane. But here he was, with his own Rogers-Stark army, and he would not want to be anywhere else. 

Steve kissed the top of his head and said, mirroring Tony’s thoughts, “This is pretty awesome.”

“More awesome than Dr. Doom forgetting how to make Doombots?”

Steve paused, pretending to consider his answer, until Tony mock-swiped at his ribs. He laughed and hugged Tony closer. “No, all things considered, this is more awesome.” 

He added a moment later, “It would be great though, if there were no more Doombots.” 

“Well, we can agree on that,” Tony replied, content and happy in Steve’s arms. Who could ask for more?

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Doubts that Creep In](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1257277) by [AngeNoir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngeNoir/pseuds/AngeNoir)




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